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Manila is ‘worst place to travel in South East Asia’: survey

Netizens have voted Manila as the “worst place” to travel in Southeast Asia, according to a survey by a travel magazine.

Manila earned 17 votes in a readers’ poll released by South East Asia Backpacker Magazine on June 5, topping the list of the worst places in South East Asia.

The travel magazine recently asked its readers “Where is the WORST place in South East Asia you’ve ever travelled? A place that you just couldn’t wait to leave!” and most of the 300 readers who responded answered Manila.

Manila was described as “polluted, has a deficient infrastructure, overcrowded” making people feel unsafe.

The travel magazine, however, clarified that the backpackers’ experiences always vary as some still had positive experiences in Manila.

“One bloke said he was robbed by a taxi (we didn’t get more details other than that) and someone said that they were grabbed by people as they walked down the street in a district called Mandaluyong,” the survey’s explanation read.

“On the bright side, however, more than one person mentioned that they encountered “friendly” and “lovely humans” whilst they were there. And, one girl from Italy said that she felt safer in Manila than she does in her home country,” it added.

Aside from Manila, Cebu City, was also named one of the worst places in the region landing the 10th spot in the survey. Cebu was described as “dirty,” “noise” and “polluted.”

“The city was also described as “all shopping malls and no culture” and the food as “bland and Americanised,” the travel magazine said.

The complete ranking of worst places in Southeast Asia according to South East Asia Backpacker’s survey appears below:

Koh Samui, Thailand (5 votes)

Pak Beng, Laos (5 votes)

Hanoi, Vietnam (6 votes)

Cebu City, Philippines (6 votes)

Khao San Road, Bangkok, Thailand (7 votes)

Medan, Sumatra, Indonesia (7 votes)

Pattaya, Thailand (8 votes)

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (8 votes)

Kuta, Bali, Indonesia (9 votes)

Phuket, Thailand (11 votes)

Sihanoukville, Cambodia (14 votes)

Phnom Penh, Cambodia (15 votes)

Manila, Philippines (17 votes)

Despite this ranking, the Department of Tourism in Manila assured travelers that the Philippines is still a safe country to visit. Last week, the DOT released a campaign video called "Experience Philippines," promoting the country's safety and hospitality, among others.